Authority Vested: Alternate Ending
by arisusa06
Summary: As part of a fanfic competition, I was challenged to write an alternate ending to S5 EP 3: Authority Vested, where Jax and the boys were given one more night before having to turn themselves in. This is my take on how that night might have gone... As always, the characters of Sons of Anarchy belong to Kurt Sutter, the story is my own. Enjoy.


(The storyline picks up in S5 EP 2 however this take on it, is original. All characters, as always, belong to Kurt Sutter. Enjoy!)

He almost didn't hear the cell phone ring in his pocket over the celebratory noise in the brothel. Jax stopped hugging Chibs long enough to grab it by the last ring. _Lowen? What was the lawyer calling for?_

"Yeah?" he answered flipping open his phone, all business, "What's going on?"

"Jax," her slightly agitated voice came over the line, "I was able to buy you some time. Not much, but it's something. You've got until 10am tomorrow to turn yourselves in or you'll be considered fugitives but hopefully that will give you enough time to figure out any loose ends. I couldn't do any more than that."

"No, that's great, Lowen. We'll turn ourselves in at the clubhouse at ten tomorrow. Thanks."

He hung up the phone in disbelief. His mind immediately rushed to the thousand different things he needed to handle for the club with this new found time_: how to nix the RICO case, how to get to Otto, trying to find Romeo and Luis about protecting their asses inside, making sure all the SAMCRO families were safe from Pope on the outside_…But when his eyes locked onto his new bride watching him from across the room, they all suddenly disappeared. Standing there in her tank top and jeans, a small pink flower in her hair, with that serious look on her face she wore all too often now…she looked beautiful. He knew that he had robbed her of the wedding she would have wanted, the wedding she deserved. Shit, over the last few years he'd robbed her of a lot more than that and now here he was, about to get carted off to jail again, and she had still agreed to marry him, on the spot, in a whore house. There was a fairly good chance he wasn't going to make it out of this trip to the big house alive and if he had to go, he didn't want his last memories of freedom to be about club shit. He needed to make it up to her. He needed to show her that he meant every promise he'd ever made her, even if he hadn't been able to keep them. For once, he was going to make sure she came first.

"Jax," Bobby's rough voice broke his reverie, "its Romeo."

XXXXX

Pulling back up to Diosa a few hours later, Jax felt a little bit better about his impending incarceration, but not by much. Those CIA fucks didn't seem too overly concerned about his situation and he didn't doubt they'd turn on him if they thought it would better suit their purposes. But he couldn't risk asking Alvarez for help because if Damien Pope found out, he'd find a way to turn the Mayans against SAMCRO…by any means necessary… _Fucking Tig_… Jax let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his face tiredly. Physically he was fine, but he'd barely taken over the gavel and everything seemed to fall to shit in his hands. It was all Clay's fault. He'd dug them in so deep, Jax had no fucking idea how to get them back out again.

Walking up to the front doors with Bobby, he tried to shake it off. He had to put up a strong front for his brothers, for his mom, and especially for Tara…his _wife_…The word brought a smile to his face. He'd been waiting almost 15 years to be able to call her that. After dealing with all the turmoil and shit that had been going on since she'd left, her reappearance had been the final sign. Finding his Dad's journal after Abel had been born, seeing Opie getting out of prison and being torn between home and the club because of all the illegal shit they did. Then Tara swooped in like a breath of fresh air into a drowning man's lungs. She saved Abel's life when his own mother had betrayed him, sacrificed whatever she could to help the club, gave him another son…she brought him back to true North. She was the only one that had ever known him for all of who he was and who he could be….away from the club and his brothers and the bikes, she had known…she had always known. And now she was his…_Mrs. Jackson Teller_… just like she had always been meant to be.

Jax pushed open the doors to Diosa and strolled into the bright, well lit, lobby scattered with beautiful women. You know a sign of a good brothel is one that isn't afraid to have the lights on. His eyes scanned the room looking for the one gorgeous brunette who didn't need stilettos or a cocktail dress to catch his eye, although he certainly wouldn't mind seeing her like that some time either. He made a mental note to take her somewhere nice if he made it out of this…._wait…wait a fucking minute….I've got until 10am tomorrow_…The gears in his brain started turning rapidly on how he could pull it off. He was supposed to be in hiding, if he did the slightest thing wrong and got caught, they wouldn't give a shit if he was turning himself in at 10am…he was still a wanted man….but Tara deserved something on her wedding day…something nice. He remembered the beautiful blue strapless dress she had worn at Opie's wedding and wanted to see her like that again. If it was just for one night, he wanted her to feel like a princess…a _queen_… _his_ Queen.

Tara came around the corner right in front of him and he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. Sliding his left hand easily into her hair, he pulled her towards him and pressed his lips against hers. It took a moment for her to respond, but he felt her body relax in his arms and her lips working along with his. Her arms slid up his waist and dragging her nails across his spine like she knew he loved. Taking a step or two forward, he pressed her up against the wall of the stairs. _Oh, the things I want to do to this woman_…he thought to himself allowing his tongue to dance alongside hers.

It took everything he had to pull his face a few inches away from hers, still so close he could taste her breath and see that her hazel eyes had fire burning below.

"Mrs. Teller," he smirked lazily at her, "I have a favor to ask."

"Well that didn't take long," she laughed throatily, rolling her eyes at him.

With his hands still firmly in position, he pulled her closer and said, "I need you to go out and find the nicest dress you can possibly find and meet me back at the club with my truck by 8pm."

Tara furrowed her eyebrows at him suspiciously, "What are you talking about Jax? Why do I need a fancy dress? This doesn't exactly seem like the best time to pla…"

Jax cut her off with a quick but firm kiss. He pulled himself away and reached into his wallet, "Just trust me. Here's… $500…don't be cheap."

"Jax!"

"I mean it…the prettiest dress you see. If this isn't enough, charge it. Do your hair. Do your makeup. All of it. When you get to the club you can come in or call me from the truck, whatever you're more comfortable with."

"Jax, I don't…"

"You don't have to understand. Can you do this for me, babe?" he smiled.

With a defeated sigh but a defiant look she nodded her head stiffly, "Yeah, I think I can manage. But aren't you turning yourself in tonight? Why am I meeting you at 8pm? To see you off to prison in a ballgown?"

Jax gently grabbed both of her upper arms and pulled her close, close enough that she had to look up to him and running his tongue over his lower lip he smiled and told her, "Lowen bought us an extra night. I don't have to turn myself over until 10am tomorrow."

Her eyebrows shot up and her chin tucked into her neck in disbelief. A smile slowly started to stretch across the width of her face, "Are you serious?"

Biting his lip and raising his eyebrows mischievously Jax nodded, "And I've got plans for us, _wife_. But they're not going to work if you don't go find that dress and get ready."

Tara beamed up and him and in a flash she had thrown her arms around this neck and was pulling his mouth back down to hers. Jax let himself relish the moment and allow her infectious excitement to slip into his system. He pulled himself away and slapped her playfully on the ass.

"Now get going," he smiled.

She gave him another quick peck on the lips before turning and practically skipped away to grab her purse. His logical side was still telling him that this idea was ridiculous and he had much more important things he should be doing for the club, but the man inside of Jax that had constantly made empty promises and let her down knew that he had to do this. She smiled back at him one last time before heading out the door. He felt it deep within his chest. It might not be the best use of his time but this was what was right.

"Chibs!" he called out.

"Ya, Jackie Boy?"

Strolling up to the Scotsman, Jax threw his arm over his shoulder, "I need you to arrange some stuff for me…"

XXXXX

Tara pulled up to Teller Morrow in Jax's pickup. The thing almost never got used because he was always on his Harley but it was a nice vehicle. A bit too big for Tara's preference but it was a smooth ride. She felt a bit awkward in the large cab but that could also be because of the floor length canary yellow gown and four inch heels she was wearing. She had no idea what Jax had planned but she hadn't been this dolled up since high school prom. Even for the banquets for the hospital she'd always dressed simply in black and pulled her hair up. For Jax, she'd decided to leave it down and put her long chocolate hair in curls. She'd never really been one to wear much makeup either but tonight she threw on eyeliner, smokey eye shadow, mascara, and dug out her favorite lipstick she never got to wear, the whole nine… She had no idea what Jax had planned but apparently he wanted it to be really special so she wanted to make sure she didn't disappoint him.

Parking the truck as close as she could to the clubhouse, she checked the time on the dash before switching off the ignition. _7:55pm_. Twisting her lips back and forth, she debated on if she wanted to go inside. She was incredibly overdressed for a repair shop and she didn't really want to walk too far because she didn't want to risk getting her dress dirty, but she knew everyone here or most everyone. Before she could make up her mind though, she saw Bobby come out the front door and start making his way over to the truck. Tara glanced down to make sure her breasts were still in place and not falling out of the plunging neckline and flipped down the visor to check her makeup one last time. All was well. She put the visor back and opened her door.

Bobby's eyebrows shot up and let out a low whistle, "My goodness, Doc, you sure clean up nice."

Tara laughed. Out of all the guys in the club, Bobby had always been one of her favorites. His heart was in the right place and he always seemed to give Jax good counsel when he needed it. He and Chibs were probably the closest thing Jax had to a decent father figure now because Clay sure as hell wasn't.

"Thanks, Bobby. So do you have any idea what is going on? I feel a bit silly being so dressed up at a garage," she smiled embarrassingly.

"Aw, don't feel like that, darlin. You look fantastic. And don't worry, you aren't staying here," he grinned and put an arm around her shoulder. "Let's get you out of here before the grease monkeys get a look at you."

Bobby walked her around the truck and helped her in the passenger side before walking back around and getting in the driver's seat. Now Tara was _really_ confused but it also brought a huge smile to her face. _What was Jax up to_? she wondered. He could be very clever, like when he'd had Thomas surprise her with her engagement ring, but it didn't usually came into play between the two of them. At least, not ususally since they were teenagers, which is exactly how she felt right now. All dressed up and no idea where she was going. It was so exciting! Bobby backed the truck up and headed out of the parking lot. She clicked her seatbelt into place and smoothed the creases in her dress. She cringed slightly at the sight of the soft cast still on her right hand. It clashed grossly with her dress and hair, so she'd thrown a silver bracelet over it to try and make it look nicer…it helped a little. Not much, but a little.

They'd driven about fifteen minutes outside of town when Bobby started to slow the truck down. Because it was now after 8pm, the sun had started to dip into the treeline. Tara glanced around her trying to figure out where they were. It was definitely a drier area but she saw an area of woods up ahead off the road a little ways. _Wait a minute, I've been here before_…. They were headed to the Indian Reservation. She'd been out here for Opie's wedding. _What was going on_? Bobby turned down the road that lead inside the reservation and rolled down his window to give a subtle nod to the Native American gentlemen at the main gate. He nodded back and they continued on their way. Obviously, Bobbie was more familiar with the area than she was because he turned down a few roads that lead back into the woods further. They were coming up on an especially dense area of the woods when he suddenly slowed the truck and eventually stopped.

"Bobbie?" Tara asked looking over to the grizzled older man, "What are we doing here?"

"I can't tell you darlin," he smiled, "I'm supposed to drop you off here and have you go through those bushes over there."

Tara glanced over to the direction he was nodding. It was a lot darker in here than it had been out on the road. There was a wall of hedges off to the right about twenty feet with a small opening just wide enough to walk through. She looked back at him quizzically, "You want me to get out and walk over there?"

"You're safe here, Tara. Just trust me. He's waiting for you."

She smiled at that last line and decided she didn't have much of a choice. She reached for the door and lifted her skirts so they wouldn't touch the ground and carefully stepped down out of the truck. Looking at Bobby's smiling face one last time, Tara shut the door and turned to walk towards the wall of bushes. The grass was soft but the ground was still hard enough that her heels didn't sink in. The closer she got, the more nervous she became. She couldn't see anything past the shrubbery. She approached the entryway and felt her heart racing. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the truck still sitting there which helped ease her nerves a bit. Tara took a deep breath and walked through the hedges….

…and suddenly her breath was gone again…

Her jaw dropped. Before her eyes was a small open grove with soft yellow Christmas lights strung up in the trees, all along the perimeter. There was a small table set for two with long tapered candlesticks flickering in the dusky light and all of the bushes were covered with small pink flowers. It was stunning! She was still taking it all in when out of the corner of her eyes she turned and saw Jax step out from behind a tree.

_Oh my…._

He stood there in all of his God given beauty with his hair slicked back and wearing an elegant black tuxedo. _A tuxedo!_ She hadn't seen Jax in a tuxedo since they'd been high school! And on his face was the biggest smile she'd ever seen. It made his dimples show and his eyes squint up and there was no mistaking how happy he was. It was the most beautiful part about him, when you could see him genuinely happy.

"Jax…" Tara said breathlessly, "what is…"

Walking towards her with a single red rose in hand, Jax said, "Tara, you're my high school sweetheart, the mother to my children, my soul mate, and now my wife. I've never taken care of you the way I should have, the way you deserved. So just this once, on our wedding night, I want you to know just how special you are to me."

"Jax," she choked up, the tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Tara," he said holding out the rose for her, "I love you. I always have. And I'll never stop. I've made a lot of mistakes but you've always stood by me, been my strength, my common sense, the thing that brings me peace. You deserve this and so much more. I just wanted you to know. I would be so lost without you."

The tear that had been threatening, fell down her cheek as Jax took her in his arms and pulled her into his chest.

"You look so beautiful tonight," he whispered into her hair. Her heart leapt in her chest for him. Yes, he had made mistakes. _Many _of them…but this…_this_ was the reason she loved him. _This_ was the reason she stayed. Because despite everything else that was wrapped up in being in his life, _this_ was the Jax she fell in love with. The man who was sweet and thoughtful. The romantic. The man who was a bit of a dreamer and lived half in this world and half in a fantasy. Tara leaned back and looked into his eyes…his beautiful endless blue eyes…and knew that whatever happened, what they had together was something that most people would never find in their entire lives.

"I love you, Jackson Teller."

"And I love you, Mrs. Teller."

She kissed him then. Surrounded by the fairytale he had created for her, she felt like the luckiest girl on the planet. As their lips played softly around each other, she felt his hands slide against the silky fabric of her dress around her waist. Her arms instinctively slid up his lapels to wrap around his neck. They held each other like that for a moment or two. Some people's passion burned huge and bright and then burned out. But theirs was one that would never die…not even after so many years apart. Their fire was deep. It was the embers below. The flames might flicker down or disappear from view but the fire always remained. Jax gently pulled away from their kiss and ran one hand through her hair.

"You hungry, babe?"

Tara smiled up at him. Her prince of Charming…so grown up yet still such a boy at heart, "Yeah, a bit."

"C'mon." He planted another quick kiss on her lips before taking her by the hand and leading her across the grove to the little white table and she let her new yellow dress trail along the grass behind her. Still playing the gentlemen, Jax pulled out her chair and helped her sit down. As he went around to take his own seat, Tara looked at the spread in front of them. Steak, mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, she had a glass of wine in front of her but when she glanced across the table she saw Jax had a bottle of Budweiser. Jax, catching her line of vision, looked up at her smirking and said, "I can only do so much, babe."

And she laughed.

They ate their dinner laughing and smiling at each other from across the table, the candlelight flickering across their faces. As the night grew darker and darker, the grove grew even more whimsical. Jax looked so debonair in his tux that Tara could hardly believe it was the same guy that was always rolling around in flannel, loose fitting jeans, and a kutte, president of a motorcycle club. She'd seen plenty of men in tuxes at all the fancy dinners and banquets for Chicago Presbyterian and the one or two she'd bothered to attend at St. Thomas but none of them compared to her _husband_. The word made her smile even though she'd been thinking about it all day.

She saw Jax look down to his lap momentarily and knew he was probably checking his phone. It kind of bothered her but, at the same time, she was surprised they'd been able to be alone together this long completely uninterrupted. He looked back up to her and even though her annoyance was probably written on her face, he had the biggest grin on his face. Tara was right about to question him when she suddenly heard music start to play from somewhere beyond the hedges. She looked around her but couldn't find the source of the sound. A slow guitar was strumming across a set of speakers somewhere and Tara instantly recognized the song.

"Mrs. Teller," Jax asked standing up and reaching for her hand, "may I have this dance?"

She smiled up at him incredulously and placed her hand in his. He pulled her to her feet and led her a few away from the table. Spinning her into his arms, he held her left hand up in his right and placed his left on the small of her back, pulling her close, and started swaying to the music.

"_Wise men say…only fools rush in...but I… can't… help…. falling in love… with you…"_

Tara couldn't have said whether it was a recording or Bobby Elvis singing somewhere in the dark but it didn't really matter. Her heart was in her throat. It could have been Elvis Presley himself and it couldn't have made the moment anymore romantic. As she looked up into Jax's sky blue eyes sparkling in the night, Tara's heart filled with so much love she thought it might burst. The tears welled in her eyes again but just as she was about to speak, Jax spoke first,

"Tara, I might not get a lot right and I know you've forgiven me for more than any woman should ever have to, but I love you…more than I can stand. When you left all those years ago, my world went dark and it stayed dark until the day you were mine again. Even when Abel was born, I couldn't shake the notion that I wasn't supposed to be happy, really happy. That something would just come and take him away…and it almost did but you saved him. You brought him back to me, then you came back, and then you gave us Thomas and I never knew I could be this happy. I just need you to know that if I never get the chance to do this for you again, that I always meant to, every day. Because despite everything, all the fights, all the words we didn't mean, and years spent apart, my heart has always been yours. It's never belonged to anyone but you and you are the only one that has ever truly been mine. I love you, Tara."

The tears broke free of her lashes and streaked down her face as her smile quivered on her face.

"_Darling so it goes…some things…are meant to be. Take my hand…Take my whole…life…too….for I…can't…help...falling in love…with you_."

"I love you so much, Jax…" she choked out.

Jax just smiled and taking her face in both hands, he raised her mouth to his…and it was beautiful. Her life had been a series of hit and runs, of close calls, short lived chances, and near misses…He had been right when he called her out on it all that time ago…Jax came with his misgivings and his danger but he and their boys were the most beautiful part of her life, the only beautiful parts of her life. He had known all those years ago that this is what they were supposed to be and she had been so blinded by her own claustrophobia that she hadn't thought about what her running would do…only for them to lose all that time in between and still wind up right back where they'd started anyway. It was a beautiful vicious cycle that always led them back to each other. He could not truly live without her and she could never truly live without him. Her hands wrapped around him then slid up the fabric of his suit jacket to pull him even closer. Her lips parted beneath his, gently swaying against each other to the dance that they both knew so well.

But it wasn't long before the passion swelled within her and she needed more. Her kisses became hungrier and her hands clenched tightly against his strong shoulders. And just as it has always been, Jax sensed the need within her and gave her his passion in return. Letting his hands run to the back of her scalp, he momentarily grasped her long dark curls in his hands before running them down her bare arms and slide across the slender waist of her dress. It sent shivers down her spine. But they didn't linger and Tara felt his hands run down across the curve of her buttocks. Suddenly, she felt his body dip down as he grasped her thighs and lifted her off the ground. As her body shifted forward her dark hair curtained around them. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and buried her hands in his long, gel-stiffened, hair. She felt the bristles of his facial hair tickle the delicate skin on her neck in such a way that it sent the blood rushing through her ears and deep within her thighs. Her breathing was growing rougher by the minute. Jax started carrying her somewhere, but where she couldn't say. Her eyes kept rolling back in her head from the way his mouth was moving against her neck, kissing her jawline, nipping and sucking on her earlobe. His right hand let go of her for the briefest moment. Tara's body jolted upright as his body jerked suddenly and she heard the clatter of dishes smashing against the ground. Her head whipped around to see that he had ripped the tablecloth off, throwing everything to the ground. Jax wasted no time burying his face into her chest, his wiry beard nuzzling into the soft area between her breasts, his tongue and mouth working together to make her body crazy with desire, probing deeper and deeper into her bodice. She felt him growing rigid as she tightened her legs around him and it only heightened her arousal. His right hand returned to her back and she felt him start to lower her down…

"Here, Jax?" she gasped raggedly.

"Here," he whispered passionately in her ear.

He buried his mouth in hers and the world started to fade away. The last thing she saw as he lay her down and lifted her skirts was a single star shoot across the midnight sky…

_Don't let this end_, she wished silently, succumbing to their fervor, _please_ _don't ever let this end…._


End file.
